NEW SELF Meal Plans

Newsletter

Why an Egg a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

We've been hearing a lot of positive buzz lately about a food we thought was bad for us -- eggs!According to new nutrition data from the United States Department of Agriculture, eggs have less cholesterol than previously thought and more vitamin D than...

We've been hearing a lot of positive buzz lately about a food we thought was bad for us -- eggs!

According to new nutrition data from the United States Department of Agriculture, eggs have less cholesterol than previously thought and more vitamin D than they once did.

So what changed? We asked Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke, contributing editors at SELF and co-founders of C&J Nutrition, to tell us what's cracking.

"It's not so much not being scared of eggs anymore as it is realizing there was never really anything to fear with eggs!" Jarosh and Clarke told HealthySELF. "And now that they have less cholesterol than we previously thought and more vitamin D ... even better!"

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee concluded that one egg per day does not result in increased blood cholesterol levels, and is not associated with risk of coronary heart disease or stroke in healthy adults.

For most people, it's saturated and trans fat in the diet that raises blood cholesterol levels, Jarosh and Clarke say. But watch your daily tally: The USDA recommends that individuals consume, on average, less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. A single large egg contains 185 mg of cholesterol.

Here are a few more reasons to get egg-cited:

Vitamin D

Dietary sources of vitamin D are hard to come by, so adding eggs to your diet is a delicious way to boost your D intake (you'll get 10% of the daily vitamin D value per one whole egg). Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, helping to form and maintain strong bones.

Health and weight loss

Eggs provide protein to help keep you feeling satisfied. They're also a great vehicle for getting more vegetables into your diet (it's so easy to add veggies to an omelet, fritatta or scramble!)

Bonus: E ggs fortified with DHA/omega-3s can be a good way to get more of these important fats (omega-3s are thought to reduce inflammation in the body and possibly lower risk for depression).

Protein

One large egg contains 6 grams of filling, energizing protein, or 12 percent of the Recommended Daily Value.

Versatility

You can eat eggs for breakfast, lunch, or dinner ... or have a hard-boiled egg for a snack. There are so many ways to cook them, too -- poached on top of a salad, soft boiled with whole grain toast, scrambled, in an omelet or fritatta, etc. You'll never get bored!